Be There
by stacywriter
Summary: Eli and Lani navigate through new territory at work as their feelings for each other grow.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

Eli stared at the police report – searching for any detail, no matter how small, in order to reveal some clue to Lani's whereabouts. All they knew at this point was, the partner that was assigned to this case had been shot.

She had no real back-up.

More than likely, no way to send a signal.

If this guy went off the rails, she was on her own.

It had been over three hours since Hope and Rafe stormed into the interrogation room, interrupting a private moment between them, and tossed a report on the table before sliding it down toward to the other end, right before closing the door from behind. "We need Lani on a case," Rafe blurted rather quickly.

Hope then proceeded to fill them in, stating that they needed her on it immediately.

They warned her – the case didn't come without risk.

The look of sheer horror written all over Lani's face stayed in his mind hours later, as did the looks between the two of them once they learned of each gruesome detail of the case, and he had known instantly that there was no way in hell she wouldn't want in on this one.

This was about a newborn – ripped from the mother's arms in the hospital.

It was about a drug-dealing father who shot a nurse on his way out.

And now here they were, trying not to let their growing feelings for the other get in the way of the job that they knew they had to do, and his job in that moment was to trust her, trust the skills she possessed as a detective, which meant knowing that she was tough as nails.

It also meant knowing, it would tug at her emotionally.

How could it not?

Even he was affected by what he heard.

Sighing, Eli slowly sat back in the chair, thoughts drifting in and out of the quick conversation they had, just before they shared a parting kiss and she walked out of the interrogation room, leaving him feeling uneasy about what was about to go down.

 _"You need me – you send a signal, someway, somehow, and I'm there."_

 _A smirk spread across Lani's face as she crossed the room, stepping closer and closer to where he stood. "If I need you?"_

 _Eli shrugged. "Well yeah, you'll need me at some point, right?"_

 _She felt his hands rest on her hips, noticed the way his eyes trailed down her body and then back up to her eyes. Not that this was remotely the time to pick up on the moment they were on their way to having before being interrupted. "Right?" he whispered, his lips stopping directly in front of hers._

 _This was not the time, she told herself._

 _"Right? He asked again._

 _Lani's lips found his for what felt like a long second, giving him a little taste but also wanting him to hold it together until she returned. If her and this unknown partner were able to be the voice of reason to this father, drug dealer or not, they may have a repeat of the previous night and this morning. "Maybe—at some point," she whispered in return, just before slipping from the feel of his touch and disappearing from the interrogation room._

Eli could barely snap out of those thoughts – the way she felt pressed up against him, the way she smelt, and most importantly, the way it felt in his gut as she separated from him and disappeared.

A feeling he would rather ignore.

For the time being, anyway.

Before long, though, Hope had breezed past him and signaled toward the interrogation room, which by the look on her face, this wasn't going to be a no news is good news sort of night, and it was clear that his fears were about to be confirmed, he could feel it.

"Where is she?"

Hope pressed the palm of her hands against the table and replied, "Eli, I need you to calm down—"

 _Calm down?_

 _Like Hell._

He was not about to calm down knowing that Lani was out there, risking herself for some drug-dealing baby snatcher to do who knows what, and instead of having her back, he had been instructed to sit tight at the damn Salem PD to do what exactly, wait for someone else to swoop in and get her out of there?

Not likely.

"I am calm," Eli answered, although inside he was anything but calm. This working together was going to try his patience now that they were involved, as it was clear that the mere mention of her being in danger caused him not to think rationally.

The door opened, and Rafe walked in.

"I need you to be calm—" Hope tried again, this time more slowly, and waited a brief second for the door to close before uttering another word. "We lost signal with Lani."

"You did what?!"

* * *

After waiting rather impatiently, Hope set her cell phone down and played a recording, one that she knew was a risk given the way Eli felt about Lani, and how she'd also known that he hadn't been on board with going into this unprepared.

 _"You may have shot my partner, but you've used your last bullet."_

The moment Lani's voice was heard across the recording, Eli glanced up at Hope and Rafe, and not only did he feel as if someone sucker punched him in the gut, he almost felt a slight sense of relief to hear her voice. Only problem was, how long ago was this recording?

 _"Maybe, but I have another weapon of choice."_

 _"And what's that?"_

 _"Pull the trigger and find out."_

This was all Eli needed to hear before shoving the chair against the edge of the table, letting it be known that whatever was going on needed to be stopped. "Damn it!" he cursed, and then looked across the table at the both of them. "Let me on this – we need to find her."

Neither Hope nor Rafe spoke.

They were trying to get a gauge on whether or not he could stay calm enough to go in there and do his job, without letting his personal feelings persuade him from doing what was right, and unfortunately, not only did it mean getting their detective and the newborn out of the line of fire, it also meant getting to this father, the one who seemed more interested in saving himself than anyone else.

"This is Lani we're talking about – Abe's daughter," Eli reminded them, clearly frustrated that they were going to sit back and let him sweat this out. "Come on! I can't stand around talking about this when Lani could be – "

"All right, but keep your head on straight."

That was all he needed before he flew out of the interrogation room, trying to remind himself that this wasn't necessary, and that Lani could handle this guy.

...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

Lani Price stood several feet back, her fingers steady on the trigger, listening to this man go on and on about how the mother turned him away when he asked to be a part of their baby's life, even if they weren't together, and how she refused to listen to reason, told lies, and somehow didn't seem to understand that things weren't as they seemed.

"Not that you could understand," he barked, wiping a couple tears.

Maybe not in these exact circumstances – but, the one thing Lani could relate with the mother on was, the fear of bringing a child into this world and the domino effect that would play out due to a web of lies.

And, of course, the stress that followed.

That, however, was where their similarities ended.

"Being a drug dealer, you mean?" Lani questioned, continuing to hold the gun tightly in her grip, just in case he lunged toward her and was then forced to pull the trigger in self-defense. "You're right, I don't."

She didn't understand his actions, that was clear.

One thing, however, that had been clear since following him into this warehouse was, this guy was capable of anything, which included dropping his newborn baby on the hard, cold concrete floor underneath his feet, if he was threatened.

The man grew impatient, making a strong fist around the knife in his hands.

He was prepared to use it.

The looks from him between the baby and Lani were concerning, almost as if he was having an internal debate, possibly wondering what the hell just happened? How he got there, this place and this nightmare? After all, he had not only shot two people, he ran from the hospital with his baby.

"The woman you ripped this baby—"

He interrupted, "Not just hers – ours!"

The anger was apparent in his voice as he took a step closer to Lani, which caused her to take another step back. Glancing to the side when she heard a few grunts, she noticed that her partner was trying to sit up, and that the bullet seemed to have been more of a graze in his right arm.

She couldn't concern herself of that right now.

If this man released his grip on the baby, that was it.

Life would be taken.

There was no way she was letting that happen, no matter what the cost.

* * *

Eli pulled up basically to an empty lot of an abandoned warehouse with another detective, where he noticed there was a dark van parked several feet from the entrance of the building. If Lani was inside, along with the officer that had been shot in some capacity, he didn't understand why they were outside the building.

Knocking, he waited briefly until the door opened, wide enough for them to enter.

"What do you got?" Eli asked instantly once inside, just as he noticed the video footage in front of them, and his attention was fixated on Lani, going toe to toe with this lunatic, which caused a mix of emotions in him.

On a personal level.

On a professional level.

One was crossing over into the other.

The officers in the van looked back for a split second and one of them said, "Brooks was shot, doesn't look like anything serious, but from what we can tell, he was knocked unconscious for a period of time. And Price—" they looked at Eli, hesitant to continue, knowing that he had a personal stake in this. "She—uh—she's holding her own with him, but there isn't anything that we can see where we'd be able to go in and arrest him."

Eli stared at the video footage.

This man was holding a baby, a knife in his hand.

"Not enough evidence?" Eli questioned, not understanding the delay. "He walked into a hospital, ripped the baby from a mother's arms and shot a nurse on his way out; And now, by the look of things, he shot a police officer. What else do we need to go in there and get this lunatic?"

They turned back to the surveillance footage.

Lani might have been keeping the man at bay up until now, but they also knew that this man could overpower her in a split second if he wanted, and the risky part was if he went after her with a knife, nobody was convinced that she would shoot him before he did, considering he had a baby in his arms.

Eli moved even closer to the video footage.

He watched her closely – the way she moved as this man moved, the way her eyes remained focused on the baby, barely taking a second glance on the knife in his other hand, which concerned him, and then there were these idiots wanting him to just sit in this van and wait for man to go after her? To physically harm her or the baby?

 _Had they lost their minds?_

 _Did they expect him to stand there, do nothing?_

 _No way in hell._

The detective that stood behind Eli could sense that he was about to break this entire thing wide open – and maybe not for the better. He was thinking with his heart, not as someone who was trusting the fellow detectives inside the building.

"Grant—"

In that moment, Eli went tone deaf, as it didn't seem to matter that he might have been overreacting, despite the fact that he knew Lani was a damn good cop, or the fact that what everyone was telling him might have been the right thing to do. It just didn't seem to matter in that moment – not for him, not when Lani was inside, not when he knew her emotions were more than likely all over the place around this case.

He wanted to end it, and he wanted to do it now.

"All right," Eli reluctantly surrendered to what they were asking. "I'll wait this out a little longer, but if he-" all of them suddenly stopped cold when they heard Lani's voice come across the radio, which told them that someone - whether that was Lani herself or the other detective, the audio signal was back. They'd either wait to get the goods on this guy to throw the book at him, or he'd need to do something that would force them to break down the door and rescue everyone from the situation.

 _"_ _Why don't you hand the baby to my partner and we can talk this out."_

 _"_ _Do you take me for a fool – I give you the baby and I lose all my leverage."_

 _"_ _Take a look underneath you – you lose your balance and that baby, the one you claim to want to be in his life, to protect him, to watch him grow up in this world, he'll be gone the moment his head hits that concrete. Is that what you want?"_

Eli listened intently to each word she spoke and the tone in those words, knowing that the two of them had also wished they'd been able to watch their own come into this world, see what his legacy would become, but then were robbed of that chance.

He wanted to be in there with her in that moment.

Keep her calm.

Have her back.

Whatever she needed, he wanted to be the one in there.

 _"_ _I want to be around for this child – I love my baby, I love his mom." Fake tears or not, they were heard through the radio. "All of this just got out of control – I lost my job after being injured, Tracey got pregnant, I got addicted to pain meds, and then it all spiraled out of control. I didn't mean to shoot that nurse, it just happened in a panic."_

"That's it, let's go– we got what we need."

* * *

Lani could tell the man was unraveling before her very own eyes, and if she was going to prevent the baby in his arms from harm, it would require her putting down her gun. So, following her instinct, she informed him on what she was doing and she set down the gun, pleading with him to do his part and hand the baby to her partner.

The moment the gun dropped to the cement floor, the man held up the knife again.

It was obvious that the walls were back up, trust gone again.

"What was that?" he asked, hearing an echo coming from behind. "Did you hear that?" He then turned to the other officer, noticing a shiny object. "If those are cops – she's dead."

Chaos suddenly filled the room, and all she could think about was the baby in his arms, wondering what he would do next as the cops swarmed around him, yelling to drop the knife.

Before she could take a step, Eli's eyes darted to hers and vice versa.

He had to know what she was about to do.

Even if he didn't approve, it would break her heart if she didn't try.

Lani moved toward the man when his head was turned, quickly snatching the baby directly out of his arms, narrowly missing the knife blade from grazing across her arm or onto the soft skin of the baby in her arms.

Deep breaths followed, just as he was being handcuffed and being read his rights, she was standing before him with the baby boy in her arms, and within seconds, Eli had rushed to her side, repeatedly asking over and over if she was all right.

Almost shell-shocked by what had happened, she slowly nodded, unable to speak.

He wanted to reach across from where he stood, pull her into his arms and hold her close, to feel the warm breath against his neck, and be thankful that she walked out of this situation unscathed.

Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen.

At least not there.

When he got her home – all bets were off.

Instead, he put his personal feelings aside for the time being, turned to ensure the cop that had been shot was being tended to, and that the man was no longer in Lani's view, as he wanted this case to be erased from her mind as quickly as possible.

"I want to go to the hospital – I want to put this baby back in his mother's arms."

Eli nodded, knowing that she wasn't about to let anyone else return the baby to the mother, it didn't even matter if she was shaken from what had happened or whether she needed to go back to the police station and write up a report, he knew that this was something she needed to do.

"Let's go."

* * *

After returning to the SPD, Eli and Lani didn't even get a chance to go into the interrogation for some privacy before Hope and Rafe stopped them, both wanting her to know that they had Mr. Larkin in custody, and he was refusing to speak to anyone but her.

"I don't think—"

Lani knew Eli's concern was genuine, and she couldn't fault him for that, but she needed to do this. "It's all right," she told him, touching his hand rather discreetly. "I can handle this."

She could, that wasn't even a thought on his mind, as she was strong. He knew she could handle more than she should, and he'd wanted to be the one to prevent her pain ever since they lost their baby.

When she stepped away, he stared at the opening in the doorway.

"She's brave," Hope uttered to Eli, even though he knew, he'd seen it.

* * *

Lani entered an interrogation room down the hall, where an officer stood inside, along with Mr. Larkin, and she then closed the door behind her. "You know, you're not really doing yourself any favors by refusing to speak to anyone."

He turned to her, and while he couldn't say he blamed her for the attitude, he was hoping that she would be the one person that could give him a break; although, that was clearly the wrong thought.

"I was hoping you'd be able to put in a good word—"

"A good word?" Lani asked, completely dumbfounded. "Why would I do that?" She asked, crossing her arms across her chest. This man was crazier than she even thought. "Let me tell you something—" she leaned down, on the opposite end of the table, staring him directly in the eye. "I took your baby back to the hospital, had him checked out, and then I put him back into his mother's arms and watched her cry for almost a half hour from happiness that he wasn't harmed by his own father." Lani stood up straight. "That's it – that's about all I'm going to do for you."

And with that, Lani nodded toward the officer in the room, and then exited.

* * *

Eli had been sitting at his desk, staring at the words on a report when Lani returned, and he had been in deep thought, so much so that he didn't even realize when she sat down in the chair next to his desk, placing a hand over his.

"Thank you," she whispered when he looked from the page to her eyes.

He asked, "What are you thanking me for?"

Removing her hand, she sat back in the chair and looked at him. "For trusting me, even though I know you were against it from the start. I just—" she paused, choosing her words carefully. "…it was important for me to do."

'I know."

"But-it is over, and the baby's fine, and so am I." She noticed the way he was looking at her, almost as if he wasn't sure. "Right now, though, I just want to go home and be thankful that I, along with some help, was able to put that precious baby back in his mother's arms, where he'd be safe. That's all I can ask for after tonight."

He nodded, knowing that was at least something.

"Do you want me to take you home?"

Lani nodded, glancing around the squad. "More than anything."

He stood, pressing his lips together as he looked down at her, no words needed to be spoken, as he hoped she understood that he'd be there, he wanted nothing more than to be with her that night.

In any way she wanted.

If it meant holding her all night, then that's what he was going to do.

Once her hand slid into his and rose to her feet, she felt a tug as he pulled her a little closer and they shared a rather short embrace, and while she told everyone that she was all right, which wasn't exactly a lie, she knew that he understood the heavy emotion that she was feeling in that moment.

He was the only that could understand.

...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

A few steps behind, Eli followed Lani inside her apartment and silently debated on whether to ask if she needed space that night; however, before he could open his mouth to do so, she reached across his body and closed the door.

Was this her way of telling him that she wanted him to stay?

Or, was this only a brief invitation?

"Eli – "

Lani no longer felt the presence of him from behind, quickly noticing how he barely moved from the door when she had stepped away. "Eli—" she repeated, stopping until he snapped out of whatever trance he seemed to be in. Maybe what had happened a few hours earlier affected him as much as it did her. "You all right?"

He nodded with a slight smile, moving toward her. "Yeah…sorry."

The two of them crossed the room, making their way toward the kitchen in silence, processing the events of what had taken place. For Lani, emotions were all over the place, mostly in relation to the fears the mother went through, and risking what was needed to protect the precious baby boy that had entered into the world; and for Eli, his thoughts were consumed about the dangers she had been under, and how that made him feel.

The one thing they had in common, though, was the thought of David.

This was one emotion they shared.

Stopping right as she reached the kitchen island, Lani felt this surge come over her, and she leaned forward just slightly to take in a breath, gripping the curved edge of the counter. It was just a brief moment, one that she hoped would go unnoticed.

It didn't.

Eli walked up from behind in silence, placing both hands on either side of her.

She felt his warm breath from behind as he stepped closer.

Words weren't even needed between them, she knew that not only was he trying to offer comfort, he was also letting it be known that he understood. After all, it had barely even been six months since they had gone through the indescribable loss of their son, so it wasn't all that surprising that a case could stir up those emotions again in the both of them.

Lani could have allowed herself to fall back, melting into his chest.

Instead, she shifted all the way around to face him.

His eyes locked with hers, feeling as though he could feel everything she was, and then as she faced him, barely an inch of space between them, he pushed away the urge he had in that moment, which was to kiss her until she forgot all about what happened that day, to take her into that bedroom and make the both of them forget.

"Do you want me to go?"

"Go?"

"Leave – for tonight-" Eli spoke softly, knowing it wasn't what he wanted but, willing to give her what she needed. He pursed his lips together for a second and then continued, "Today was rough, so if a night alone is what you need – to take a long, hot shower and curl up with a glass of wine and a good book, I get it."

There it was.

The look she gave him was fierce.

Lani placed her hands on his arms, pushing them away in a quick motion, breaking the close proximity between the two of them. If he didn't realize just how much she needed him to be there, and the reasons why, she wasn't about to explain it.

Maybe he had been looking for an excuse to bolt.

If he was – then he could find the door, she wasn't stopping him.

She moved away and then said, "Are you asking me if I want you to leave —"

Eli looked at her with sheer confusion, waiting for her to continue whatever it was she was going to say, to understand why her mood seemed to shift so quickly. _Did he say something wrong?_ But she wasn't about to make it easy for him, that was clear, and without saying another word, Lani exited the kitchen.

Standing in the kitchen all alone, he found himself completely stunned.

 _What just happened?_

 _Was she upset?_

 _Hurt?_

 _Angry?_

 _What – the – hell – just went down?_

Turning, he followed the loud noise, which was coming from her bedroom.

Eli took in a breath and stopped in the doorway, watching as she paced around the room, obviously wanting to appear as though she was looking for something, anything, as it was clear he had upset her somehow. Waiting patiently, still perplexed, he leaned against the door frame and watched in partial amusement, wondering if she was going to ignore him until he gave up and left.

"Lani – look at me."

In annoyance, she turned around and met his gaze.

It irritated her, the way he was looking at her.

"You know I was just trying to give you what I though you needed, right?" Eli asked, treading lightly. "I – I understood how personal this case was for you, and hell, I felt it." He moved away from the wooden frame of the doorway, taking only a few steps into the bedroom, never dropping his eyes from hers. "If you need time to process what happened, I'm willing to give it to you. And if you want me here, then you damn well better know I'll be here."

She felt a little foolish in that moment.

The last thing she wanted was for him to leave.

When he broke their gaze and turned, she called out to him. "Eli, wait."

Lani moved to him, reaching for his hand and pulling him further inside the room. "I didn't – I want you here." she began, "I thought maybe you didn't want to be here."

This couldn't have been further from the truth.

He shook his head.

"I thought maybe you wouldn't want me here."

Lani smiled with him for a moment and then glanced toward his lips, wanting nothing more than to be with him, barely able to forget the way they had spent that morning or even the night before, it was something the both of them had talked about before the case had been shoved in their face. Neither had been able to focus on much else since New Year's Eve. And this argument between them now was silly, she knew it as much as he did. So, trying to forget why it even happened in the first place, she inched forward, grabbing ahold of the collar on his leather jacket, pulling him as close as she could. "Stay with me," she whispered, bringing her mouth closer, right before noticing the way his lips were focused on hers.

Eli couldn't think in that moment, his hands rested against her hips.

All he could think about was the way she felt.

The way she tasted when her lips brushed against his.

Lani stroked his face, as he continued to draw her near.

The warmth was felt with her body pressed against him, and the fire increased as her hands slid inside his jacket, hands slowly moving across his chest, forcing it off his shoulders, and then he shook it free to land on the floor.

Her hands slowly moved down his chest to the button on his jeans.

His to the t-shirt that hugged her body, and as his fingers moved underneath, touching her bare skin, an electricity sent shockwaves through the both of them.

Her shirt then came off.

His did the same.

Then their pants.

She stood in front of the bed, and for one long moment, everything froze – breath, words, gazes, it all stopped him cold. This wasn't their first time together, it just felt more intense, as she stood before him in black lace lingerie, and he felt as though she'd never looked more beautiful. Maybe she hadn't – maybe this is what happens when you begin to fall, or maybe not just begin but when you know when you've gone over the cliff.

He hadn't said it out loud.

She wasn't ready for that.

Lani then took a step backward, allowing him to take one last graze down her body, and her to him, before she reached behind and slid onto the bed slowly, never dropping her eyes from his. And while she knew that he wanted her, a part of her felt relieved when she saw the way he bit down on his bottom lip as he moved to the bed, to her, and even more so when he covered himself over her, slowly.

Eli brought his mouth down to hers, hungrier than before, eliciting a soft moan from her once his tongue entered her mouth, and then he rolled onto the bed, taking her with him.

Their kiss was broken when she leaned upward and sat against his hips, straddling him, and as she reached from behind, he found it difficult to focus on anything but her, and then as she loosened the clasp on her bra, all he could do was watch her.

Her wavy locks rested on her shoulders, and he could barely take the anticipation.

Eli moved his hands up her thighs slowly, reaching for the thin lace band of the panties, the only piece of fabric in the way of being inside her, and once Lani dropped the bra that hung loosely in her arms, tossing it off to the side, she slid down onto him, bare skin to bare skin as she slithered out of her panties, and the heat between the two of them felt like fire.

Mouth to mouth, she not only felt the passion between them, she caught the way his hand moved up and down her back, exploring every inch of her body in that moment, and as they broke from the kiss, breathless, he rolled them to the side, facing each other, and they paused, lost in each other, lost in the way he made her feel.

He wanted to tell her just how he felt.

She cupped his face, stopping for just one moment and said, "I love you."

...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

Lani entered the interrogation room early that morning, words of love that had spilled out of her with Eli consumed her thoughts, as did the brief moment of silence before being interrupted and called back into the SPD to deal with Mr. Larkin once again, and then neither had mentioned it before going their separate ways for the night.

Those words had just slipped out – she was caught up in the moment.

The events of the case.

The danger and scare she faced.

Then - the way he touched her that night, and the way it burned through her skin.

All of it led to uttering the words, ' _I love you'_.

She could admit, all the feelings she had for him bubbled over in that moment and there was a second of sheer honesty, one that probably took him by surprise at it did her. And now, she wasn't about to lie and say it was a mistake when in fact, she did love him.

Those feelings had been held in too long.

They were bound to spill out at some point.

Trying to move from those thoughts and back to the case file she knew was waiting on her desk, Lani turned and poured herself a cup of coffee, a much-needed jolt, even if it was from the caffeine. ' _Forget about it_ , _'_ she reminded herself before turning around, right as she caught a glimpse of him almost walking right past the interrogation room and then stepping back, it was evident he had something to say when he entered and closed the door tightly from behind.

"Good morning…" Lani drew out slowly with a smile on her face, and then sat down on the edge of the table while taking a small sip from the cup in her hand.

A part of her wanted to talk to him about what she had said.

She decided against it.

Eli took a breath, not uttering a word as he stepped further inside – instead, he moved toward the inside windows, closing the blinds one by one, trying to avoid any type of interruption for the next few minutes. He had thought about her most of the night, feeling like an idiot for the way he'd let her slip out of the bed without saying how he felt in return, even if he assumed it had been clear.

To him, maybe.

But – he knew where assumptions got them.

Lani watched closely, there was a slight confusion by his silence from the moment he stepped into the interrogation room, which caused her to wonder what this was all about, did it have to do with her case? For some reason, she kept getting pulled back in; and while she wanted to help the mother protect her baby, she also knew Eli didn't want her anywhere near this father that held a gun and threatened her with a knife, all the while dangling his new born baby in her direction as bait.

His eyes darted to her for a split second, right before moving around her.

She turned slightly as he moved to the other side of the room.

There was still confusion on what this was about.

Eli had been hesitant up until now, and it wasn't even because he didn't feel it, that wasn't it, he just wasn't sure she was ready for that type of declaration after everything they had been through, he wanted to take this as slow as she needed it to go. "I wanted to clear the air about last night-"

"Clear the air?" Lani repeated back, while setting down the cup of coffee in her hand. _What was that supposed to mean?_

Eli noticed the underlying tone in her voice.

"We got that call last night and I should have – I love you," he finally admitted, ending the look of confusion that was written all over her face, which turned into nothing but a glowing smile in his direction.

She had said the words before he worked up the courage to do so.

This made it easier for him to return those sentiments.

It had been a big step – they lost their son, and they had been an emotional wreck, trying to put one foot in front of the other and find a way for it to be all right, and through that, they leaned on each other, and while his feelings came to the surface a bit before hers did, deep down he knew waiting for her would be worth it.

Her smile lit up the room.

He bit down on his bottom lip as she moved toward him.

Stopping before him and placing her hand in his for a brief moment, she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips, and then his hands left hers and they rested against her hips as he drew her near, the two barely remembered they were standing in the interrogation room, where anyone could walk in and catch them.

Their lips eventually parted, and the realization of where they were set in.

Eli's forehead rested against hers while holding her close, wishing they were anywhere else but the station at that moment, as he ached to be with her, show her how he felt, words weren't enough.

Pressing her hand against his chest, Lani leaned in for another kiss.

Before her lips brushed against his again, she felt him pull back.

Eli placed both hands on her shoulders, physically putting distance between them while he still had the chance, or that would be it, he would probably get fired for what would come next, which by the way she was looking at him, they wouldn't get past the table, or hell, maybe not even that far.

"We shouldn't be doing this here – we have to stop."

Lani pressed her lips together and giggled, once he took another breath and moved clear across the other end of the room, which she got a little pleasure knowing his attraction for her had intensified in a matter of a few short minutes, mostly because she had felt the same way.

Looking over and resting her chin on her shoulder, she smiled at him.

He wanted her to stop – but at the same time, he didn't.

 _How was he supposed to get through the next 8 hours like this?_

And then the there was a knock and the door swung open, forcing the two of them out of the trance they were in, which probably was a good thing considering the thoughts that were going through his mind as she gazed at him. However, once Hope walked in and turned to Lani, he damn well knew what this was about, and he didn't like it one bit.

"We still have Mr. Larkin in a cell—" Hope began, looking between the two of them, and not wanting to have to come and ask again, but he just wouldn't cooperate with anyone else, not even his own lawyer. "I'm sorry to ask – Lani, he wants to speak with you."

Lani glanced over at Eli, knowing that he didn't like her continued involvement.

"For what?" Eli quickly questioned, irritated that either one of them had to deal with this more than they already had. "What does he want with her this time?" He noticed the look Hope gave Lani, and he knew this was a losing battle. "I just don't understand what he could possibly want from her."

"I'll talk to him-" Lani reluctantly agreed, knowing that it was her job as a cop to put aside any personal feelings she had on this case and deal with it as any other, despite the fact that Eli hasn't been comfortable with her interaction with this guy.

Hope then turned to Eli and said, "Maybe you should go with her this time."

That was probably the best idea anyone has had since they brought this guy in.

Eli watched Lani closely as Hope exited the interrogation room, and then once the door closed, he moved over to where she stood, sitting down on the edge of the table. "You know there's no rationalizing with this guy – we have him where we want him, and I don't want him messing with your mind in order to get off on some light sentence, and I don't want you feeling as though you owe this guy or this mother anything. You did your job."

Lani stepped between his legs, resting her hand on his shoulders.

Those hands eventually trailed up and cupped his face, and then his hands moved to her thighs as she leaned down and pressed her lips to his for a few kisses, more from appreciation than the passion that had been circling around them earlier.

Once she pulled back and began to step away, he grabbed her fingertips and stopped her from taking another step, as he didn't want to break the moment between them just yet. He didn't want to walk down to the holding cell with her and watch from a distance, knowing that this wasn't just any case, it was one that hit a little close to home for the both of them.

"Let's just – let's get this over with and get on with our day," Lani told him before he tried to change her mind, it wasn't like anyone was going to get anywhere with this guy until she spoke to him.

"Hey—"

Her fingers slipped through his, and he could tell she felt uneasy.

"Look, you can refuse to see him. It's not like you owe this guy anything." Eli noticed as she stopped near the door, obviously listening to what he had to say. "I don't like what he's doing – you don't have a vested interest in his well-being, so what the hell is this even about?"

Lani shrugged. "Maybe it's best that you—"

Interrupting, "No – you're not going down there alone another time. It's like he's developed some twisted version in his mind of what happened, and he needs you there for some sort of moral support."

A smile appeared on her face at the tone in his voice, it was clear that he was beyond annoyed at the events of this case. "What was that?"

Eli was clueless. "What?"

"That – you do realize I am not emotionally invested in what happens to him, right? I sympathize with Tracey, the mother, mostly because of what you and I went through with David. I hate to see any mother lose her baby for any reason." She noticed the way he was looking at her, the way his deep eyes pierced through her. "He'll get what is coming to him – I'll be sure of it."

"That's what I'm afraid of –" Eli said with a smile, standing to his feet and reaching for her hand, just as he pulled her back for a kiss, letting her know that she didn't need to do this solo, he would walk through it with her.

His hand dropped from hers, and they stepped out of the interrogation room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five:**

Turning the corner just a few steps behind Lani, he stopped from a distance as she neared the cell where Mr. Larkin was waiting impatiently, which was evident by the way he quickly rose to his feet once he caught sight of her presence. This was unsettling for Eli to witness; however, he knew the guy was behind bars, so what kind of damage could he do?

Once she stopped short of the cell bars, Eli leaned his shoulder against the wall.

He watched them closely.

"Thank you for coming," Kyle Larkin said in a calm voice, glancing toward Lani before taking note of Eli's presence, which created a complication. "Can we talk in private?" he then asked in a whisper, leaning forward against the cell bars directly across from her.

Lani barely needed to glance back in Eli's direction – when she did, however, the look in his eye told her that this was about as 'private' as Mr. Larkin was going to get, given the fact that their involvement in this case should have been closed days ago. "You can say what you need to in front of Detective Grant," she finally answered, turning back to face him.

Kyle Larkin shifted slightly, becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

Something that wasn't lost on Eli.

Lani, on the other hand, wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible before being pulled any deeper into this case, as she didn't need this guy reaching out to her for any personal matters or for Eli to jump to the wrong conclusions on why she continued to adhere to Mr. Larkin's requests.

"I need you to speak with Tracey – I want visitation rights to my son."

In a look of complete and utter confusion, Eli's eyes narrowed while he turned to Lani, who seemed to be just as confused, as this was a request that should have been made with his lawyer, not the cops.

In Eli's mind, this was just another red flag.

After Lani gave Eli a look to keep him at bay, she wrapped her hand around one of the cell bars without thinking right before turning back, which gave Kyle an opportunity to use a bit of force to persuade her into doing just as he asked.

Only problem – the other detective.

This guy was a problem.

"I need you to do this - I'm begging you," he continued in a raised voice.

This was reason enough for Eli to step in.

"Release your hold on Detective Price—" Eli demanded, calm and slow, moving closer to the cell. "Mr. Larkin, you'll only end up making things worse for yourself if you don't step away." He warned again while approaching Lani from the side, knowing he would take action in less than a second if this guy didn't follow orders, and truthfully at this point, he wasn't even concerned if Lani had a problem with it.

What he was concerned with – her safety.

Before Eli could take one more step and add anymore fuel to the fire, Lani used all the strength she could muster and yanked her hand backward until Kyle was forced to release the grip he had over her hand. This anger toward her had been unexpected – at least in her mind it was. "Detective Grant and I can't help you on visitation with your son, that is up to Tracey and the court."

Kyle shook his head rather violently, and then stopped to look at the two of them.

"You can speak to her – let her know I'm not a danger to my child."

These words were debatable.

Eli held out an arm between Lani and the cell, ensuring that Kyle Larkin wasn't about to reach his hand between the bars and grab any part of her body that he could, as it was clear this guy wasn't just a danger, he was emotionally unstable.

Kyle grew irritated of Eli's presence by the minute, and also this detective he thought could help him didn't seem to care. He shook his head, focused his attention back on Detective Price, trying to tap into what they had in common. "You know it wouldn't be right keeping a father away from their own child – can't you go to her? Make her see this is wrong?"

Eli stepped between her and the cell and said, "We're done here."

He wasn't even going to give her a chance to answer – after all, this man was playing on her emotions, which were still raw at times, and he wasn't going to stand there and let this guy lay a guilt trip on her, that wasn't going to happen.

* * *

By the time Lani entered the main squad, several minutes after Eli, she found herself making a beeline for her own desk without giving Eli a second glance, as she wasn't sure what to think about what had just happened. One the hand, his reaction was understandable, this guy was tapping into her loss of her own child to help him with his own that was very much alive; however, on the other hand, she didn't need anyone treating her as if she couldn't handle a suspect after they'd been arrested.

She needed coffee, water, anything.

A break.

Before reaching her desk, she turned right around and walked into the interrogation room and poured herself a cup of coffee, and then noticed Eli had followed her since he entered within seconds, closing the door from behind. "I don't want to talk about what happened."

Eli made sure the door was closed tight. "Well, I do."

Lani leaned back against the counter, taking a few sips of from the cup in her hand, leaving nothing but silence fill the room for the next couple of seconds. She really didn't want to get into it – and if he was waiting for her to say something, he'd be waiting a while.

"You don't want to say anything – fine, I will."

She set down the cup in her hand, willing to hear him out.

"Look-" he sighed, he met her gaze. "You're a damn good cop, I'm not even worried about that. But this guy, he won't let go of your involvement in whatever battle he has with this mother, and I don't want to see something happen because you won't cooperate." She was silent and broke eye contact for a brief moment, but he knew she heard him. "We finally are together, and I want to protect it."

"I'm not about to risk anything for him."

Eli shrugged, "Not intentionally."

Shaking her head and moving over to him to erase the thought from his mind, she cupped his face in her hands, whispering _'not at all'_ , as her lips brushed against his gently, and then she felt a surge of warmth as his arms wrap around her lower waist, resting against her back side as she melted right into his kiss.

After a few seconds, Eli felt her slide out of his embrace, which brought him back to reality. They were at work – every time she kissed him, touched him, all he wanted to do was forget where they were and focus on each other.

Somedays all he could think about was being with her.

Anywhere.

Day or not.

Lani glanced down as his fingers grazed hers, just as she stepped away. "We have cases to work, remember?" She teased, although they were words laced with truth. She'd had a case waiting on her desk from the moment she came in that morning. "Maybe we can pick this up after shift, or maybe after dinner?"

Closing his eyes and leaning his head back, Eli let out a sigh of sexual frustration.

She was right – they had cases that needed their attention.

His need for her would need to wait.

"If we make it through dinner…" Eli mumbled as he reluctantly stood up, following her out of the interrogation and back to the case pile, whether it be domestic disturbance, drug busts, murder, whatever it was would need to keep his mind off the baby drama that circled around the both of them, something that didn't seem to be going away anytime soon.

* * *

Eli stepped back into the squad, noticing that Lani's desk seemed as if she had gone home for the day, which was strange since he would have seemed that she'd wait for him, especially after the moment they had in the interrogation room earlier that day.

Glancing at his phone, he noticed that there wasn't a text or missed call from her.

He then turned and glanced inside the interrogation room. Rafe was inside - seemed to be knee deep in a case – and while he didn't want to interrupt, he did want to know if she'd already gone home or if he should wait around for her.

"You look – busy," Eli said, stepping into the room.

Rafe glanced up, nodding. "Domestic abuse case – " he paused, noticing that Eli seemed to be hanging around the doorway. "If you're looking for Lani, she went home a few hours ago." Eli seemed surprised. "It might have had something to do with that guy – Kyle Larkin. He was released today."

The words echoed loudly in Eli's head – _he was released today._

So much so, that he quickly excused himself, grabbed his wallet and car keys at his desk, and then bolted from the station. And as he walked to the car several feet from the main door, his thoughts were consumed with a number of thoughts.

Why she wasn't answering his call?

Why hadn't she called him?

Why didn't anyone tell him that this guy had been released?

All of it gave him an uneasy feeling – even so, he knew Lani was a good cop with good instincts, and he knew that if she was really concerned about this guy being released, she would have called him.

And then suddenly his phone beeped – three missed calls.

* * *

Lani exited her bathroom, wearing nothing but a robe that was wrapped tightly around her body, as she had half expected Eli to show up at her door earlier when she sent him a crypted text and thought he'd pick up the signals.

But it had been hours, and she hadn't heard from him.

A part of her wondered if he had been aware that Kyle's lawyer got him released.

Not that there was any concern about this happening – they both knew it would sooner or later, as the judge had listed his bail and denied the claim about him being a danger to the public, which was a bit of a stretch, but all they could do was hope that he worked out some sort of arrangement to see his son, as that seemed to be his sole concern.

As she grabbed the glass of wine she had poured, she was on her way to return to the tub.

The doorbell rang – Lani set down the glass and went to the door, swinging it open.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Eli Grant walked into the interrogation room, where Kyle Larkin's girlfriend had been waiting for the past twenty minutes since being brought in for questioning; and while he couldn't deny there was some guilt about having to do so, considering she had just been released from the hospital earlier that evening, he knew they couldn't sit around and wait.

For him, this wasn't just a case, it was personal.

All other cases were turned over to another detective.

This was his priority.

"I apologize for needing to bring you in here at this hour," Eli began, right after walking around the table and pulling the chair backward, and then sitting directly across from her. "How's your baby boy?" he asked, starting off with an easy question.

Something to soften her a bit.

The woman smiled at the mere mention of her baby. "He's healthy and at home safe with my parents, thanks to Detective Price – what is this about?" She was nervous, that was clear, as never in her life had cops shown up at the door to bring her in for questioning, not even when her and Kyle were together.

"You are aware your ex-boyfriend was released from our custody yesterday afternoon?"

Tracey Anderson nodded slowly and replied, "Yes…"

Eli jotted down a few observations on his notepad.

"Have you seen him since?" Eli asked easing into the questions, trying to uncover any detail he could about this guy's whereabouts. "I need you to think about this carefully – if you saw him at any point in the past 24 to 36 hours – can you remember the day, time, location?" He noticed the way she began to fidget and shift in the chair, shaking her head to his question.

"We suspect he has Detective Price," Eli finally revealed.

The woman gasped and placed her hand over her mouth.

A reaction that didn't surprise him.

She then placed both hands palm down against the table, and looked directly at the detective across from her. "I'm not sure what you're thinking – I can tell you, Kyle would never physically harm her." The look on his face was the same one she'd received from her family – and didn't blame any of the them for the doubt. "I mean, I know everything spiraled out of control with us and our son – he shot people – but he was just…I know him, and I know something is wrong, inside—" she pointed to her head. "This isn't the Kyle I knew."

Eli sat back in the chair, first listening to her defend this guy and then question him.

Maybe he should play the footage of what transpired in the warehouse.

That showed the type of man he was now.

"That's all the questions I have," Eli stated when he rose to his feet and waited until she did the same, escorting her out of the squad room and requested an officer to take her home. However, not before mentioning that he would be available day or night, should she remember anything.

With that, he let out an exasperated sigh.

He didn't get anywhere with Kyle's ex.

Approaching Lani's desk from the front, Eli sat down on the edge and then picked up the name place that read, 'Detective Price', which caused him to drift off for the next several seconds, just staring at the letters before finally setting it back down. It had been almost 36 hours and nobody had seen or heard from her, no clue to her whereabouts – the only rational explanation in his mind was Kyle Larkin had taken her.

He'd had a scare the prior night when he showed up at her door.

The day Kyle had been released.

Maybe he should have driven into work with her the next morning.

If he had, then all of this might have been avoided.

Eli was kicking himself - after all, he knew that this guy was released without restriction until needing to appear in court, and that he had some sort of fixation with Lani, something that had been evident since being arrested and being brought back to the PD.

He had tried not to play the overprotective boyfriend of a cop that morning.

Tried not to pick a fight.

Look where that got him.

She was missing.

Glancing over the desk, he noticed the Kyle Larkin case file – picking up the manila envelope, opening it, he noticed a few legible hand-written notes, in her handwriting obviously, and he began to recall their evening, and how he backed down on how she wanted to proceed with the case, now that Kyle Larkin was out on bail.

Something he regretted.

 _The door swung open and Eli let out a breath, scooping her in his arms and holding her tightly, feeling nothing but relief that she was safe. He didn't even separate from his hold on her when she took a few steps backward, barely allowing him to close the door with one hand, just as they stepped into her apartment._

 _The door finally clicked shut._

 _"_ _I heard about Kyle's release," Eli then whispered against her neck._

 _Lani slipped out of his arms at the mention of his name, allowing the tips of their fingers to brush against the other and then she guided him further into the apartment toward the kitchen, almost forgetting that she was in a robe that rested above the knee, hugging her body tightly, and then it dawned on her that there wasn't a trace of lingerie covering her slightly wet skin._

 _Eli, on the other hand, was very aware as she moved._

 _The small amounts of fabric covering caught his eye._

 _Entering the kitchen, Lani dropped her fingers from his and turned around, smiling and in tune to the way he was watching her, almost wondering if he could read her thoughts in that moment._

 _"_ _That robe – it felt –"_

 _She smirked, "I was in the bath – so, yeah, I don't have anything underneath."_

 _He returned her smile._

 _"_ _I gave up waiting on you."_

 _Eli barely heard the words spoken, he was so focused on her lips and the image of moving to her and making her forget about the fact that he hadn't returned the several missed calls, which was due to the fact that he hadn't gotten them, and he then licked his bottom lip and bit down, watching the robe slide upward just slightly as she turned and took a sip of the wine glass on the center island behind where she stood, which caused all the thoughts about Kyle Larkin to disappear - they were all of a sudden consumed of the way it would feel to cover his mouth over hers, the warmth between them as her tongue slid into his mouth, and then how he would completely drown in her._

 _The next words out of her mouth stopped those thoughts - cold._

 _"_ _After I heard about Kyle's release..." Lani sighed and set down the wine glass, breaking the mood in that moment. "I jotted down a few notes on what happened in holding, along with any other details I could remember that Tracey provided me, and you were tied up in a case so I decided to go home."_

 _"_ _I wish you would have told me."_

 _"_ _I wasn't going – you wouldn't want me to do that."_

 _Eli knew a part of her hadn't exactly let him off the hook for what had taken place in holding, despite all the intentions of wanting to protect her, that didn't seem to be a valid reason in her mind. "I would have." He then walked over to her, slid his arms around her waist, locking his fingers from behind her back, keeping her close. "I would have taken you home."_

 _Placing a hand against his chest, her eyes drifted upward toward his. "You're here with me now—"_

 _Nodding, he attempted to lean over and kiss her - suddenly, his lips came in direct contact with her finger. Once his eyes opened from the shock, it was clear that she was not amused. "I —"_

 _His hands dropped from the confusion, she then picked up the wine glass and poured it in the sink._

 _"_ _Are you upset?" After a few seconds, he turned to where she stood, and was dumbfounded when she didn't do the same. "Lani, I didn't know that he'd been released – nobody told me. I was knee deep in cases all afternoon, which I thought you were as well, and I didn't receive any of your messages until I left the station."_

 _"_ _I agreed to meet with him – in the park tomorrow around noon."_

 _His mouth opened wide – was she crazy? There was no way he was going to let her go and meet this guy, not to mention alone, without any sort of back-up, there was just no way. He had been silent after this confession, unsure if that was all she was going to reveal, or if there was more she was about to throw at him._

 _Slowly, Lani turned around to face him._

 _It was obvious he wanted to say something._

 _"_ _Don't look at me like that – I'm doing this, with or without back-up."_

There wasn't a meeting in the park – not at the lunch hour anyway, as she had never made it to the station that morning, and it wasn't like her to ignore everyone's calls and blow off work, let alone knowing that the lawyer for Kyle Larkin had wanted to speak with her that morning to clear up a few holes in their case.

Eli wasn't sure what either one of them could have wanted with Lani.

She had made it clear that she sided with the mother, Tracey Anderson. However, based on the questioning he had with her several minutes ago, he was starting to wonder what type of custody battle was going on, as she barely had a bad word to say about Kyle Larkin, the ex-boyfriend who stole their newborn son from the hospital.

None of it made any sense.

He glanced when he saw Rafe – entering the main squad toward him, causing him to wonder if there was any information on Lani. He would take anything at this point. "I just interviewed the ex-girlfriend – she has nothing. I don't know if she is going to be any help to us."

"Maybe not, but we may have a lead."

This got Eli's attention.

He turned to face Rafe. "Anything man, I'll take anything that might lead us to her."

"Someone fitting Kyle's description was spotted about a few hours out of town –" he started to say, knowing that the rest wasn't about to make him feel much better. "We can check it out, but nobody was with him. The person that called it in was anonymous, didn't want to give a name, seemed legit, from what I was told."

"Damn—"

Rafe noticed Eli's body language as the case file in his hand hit the metal desk rather loudly, and he couldn't exactly blame him for the reaction, either. This wasn't about a case – this was personal for all of them, but especially for Eli, and both of them wanted to get her back before Abe returned from out of town.

Nobody wanted to deliver this type of news.

Certainly not Eli, who had vowed to protect her through this mess.

"We have to check this out," Eli finally bit out, standing to his feet, not wanting to sit around the station for another minute questioning every sole they could think of that would have any connection to Kyle, or even his ex-girlfriend, Tracey, including both of their lawyers, and every corner that came up empty gave him a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, fearing something could have happened to her.

Rafe didn't move from where he stood.

Eli stopped, turned back and said, "Are you coming, or am I going to do this alone?"

...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**

After pulling into the parking lot of the hotel, Eli found himself distracted and barely able to acknowledge the warnings from Rafe as he shifted the car into park, knowing that his thoughts were consumed around whether this would be another dead end.

"Grant - are you hearing me?" Rafe repeated, stepping around the car.

Eli kept walking before finally saying, "I hear you – I just can't think about it. I'm going to look into every single lead that comes across my desk – whether it's a reach or not." He then stopped and turned back before continuing, "You should understand."

Rafe took a breath as the two of them walked inside the hotel.

A young woman behind the front desk greeted them with a warm smile.

"Can I…help you?" she asked slowly, staring at the two of them nervously when they flashed their PD badges. "I can assure you, it has been a quiet evening."

"We're looking for a Kyle Larkin – is he staying at this hotel?" Eli quickly spoke.

Both Eli and Rafe waited while the woman logged into the computer system, scrolling the list of names and searching on whether he was in the system, and before too long, she looked up at them and shook her head. "Lani Price?" Rafe asked, knowing that was probably a long shot, since both knew Kyle Larkin was smarter than that.

"I'm sorry – nobody is registered under that name," the woman responded.

Rafe glanced at Eli before responding back, "Thank you for your time."

None of this seemed right – an anonymous tip came into the SPD that someone fitting Kyle's description was spotted at this very hotel, not even 3 hours ago, and now there is no trace that they'd been there? Was it a false lead – on purpose? "Wait – how about Tracey Anderson?" Eli asked, one last ditch effort to make sense of what was going on.

The woman scrolled repeatedly.

Minutes went by before she finally looked at them and said, "Oh, yes – Ms. Anderson is in room 301." She then noticed a note on the room – any and all visitors must be on the approved list, which she ignored hotel policy, considering those asking were law enforcement.

Eli exchanged a look with Rafe, one that made him wonder if Tracey Anderson had not only lied in her police interview, or quite possibly, been the one who called in with the anonymous tip into the station. Eli shook the thought and reached behind and dug into the back pocket of his jeans, pulling out a 4x6 photo, holding it in front of the woman on the other side of the front desk. "Does this woman look familiar?"

She nodded again. "Yes – Ms. Anderson checked in with a male earlier this evening."

Rafe slowly looked at Eli, complete shock – the photo was of Lani, not Tracey Anderson.

Maybe it shouldn't be surprising to either of them.

Deep down, Eli couldn't deny a small bit of gratitude the lead had surfaced, whatever the reason had been – following this lead was a real start; it was the first real lead they had gotten since she'd gone missing, which seemed at the moment to being a strong possibility that it would not only tie Kyle to her disappearance, maybe even link Tracey Anderson to it in some way as well; however, this is something he didn't understand, considering Lani went toe to toe with this man and saved her baby boy, why didn't she come to the police when he reached out?

Was she scamming the police from the start – maybe even with Kyle?

And if so, for what?

There were so many questions, very little answers.

* * *

The bickering back and forth was about to drive Lani insane, and while she hadn't gotten the opportunity to reach for his gun and turn the tables on him quite yet, which ultimately was the plan, whenever she got the opportunity to do so. For now, though, all she wanted to do was for him to trust her enough to avoid him turning on her.

The last thing she wanted was to be staring into the barrel of a gun.

Lani continued to watch him closely, just waiting for the opportunity to grab the gun.

"Detective Grant?" Kyle bit out, turning back in Lani's direction, throwing her out of the thoughts circling. "What the hell did you say to him? You didn't tell him where we were, did you?" He then exhaled, turning back around and continuing the conversation with the person on the other end. "Good – as that is the last thing I need."

It didn't take overhearing much of the conversation for Lani to realize Eli had been looking for her, maybe even for days – after all, he'd made it very clear that morning that if she went ahead with her plan and met Kyle in the park, he was going to be there, whether she wanted him to or not.

 _"_ _I can handle myself – and it's out in bright daylight."_

 _"_ _I don't like it."_

A part of her knew that she had laid a guilt trip on him that morning – not wanting him to pull the 'boyfriend' card on her, as despite everything, she was a very capable detective and she didn't need him stepping in and putting the brakes on when any danger came her way, despite the intensions coming from a good place.

And maybe all would have gone as planned – had she made good on her promise.

Instead, she had convinced Eli to go into the station without her that morning.

Trouble found her shortly after.

 _"_ _If you're not at the station in 20 minutes, I'm sending an officer after you."_

She knew he had meant those words – he reluctantly agreed to go to the station without her rather than picking a fight, one at this moment, she wished would have happened, maybe then he would have been there when Kyle appeared, rather than her being alone and him waiting for her on her way out.

Right now, though, she couldn't think about that – a plan was needed.

One that got her back to Salem.

The phone conversation continued for the next several minutes, and she had heard Eli's name more than once, which made her uneasy and also caused her to wonder who was on the other end, partly wondering why they were continuing to throw his name around.

"Keep your trap closed – don't make this any worse than you already have," Kyle spoke harshly to the person on the line, all the while glancing back every few seconds to ensure that the weapon was still in close proximity. "No - I'm sorry, this isn't your fault. I didn't mean it – I'll make this right, I promise."

* * *

Eli and Rafe rounded the corner after stepping off the elevator, hotel security only a few steps behind them on the chance additional back-up would be needed, which was a possibility considering the circumstances in Eli's mind. They continued down the hallway, and while he was trying to remain focused on the situation, it was almost impossible not to feel the emotional pull in this instance – this wasn't a stranger behind those doors, it was the woman he loved, maybe more than he even realized – and as they continued down the hall, he gripped the gun in his hands a bit tighter once they neared room 301.

Eli stopped – raised voices were coming from inside the room.

It was Kyle's voice that was heard first – and then he stopped cold by Lani's voice.

Once thing he knew – this would come to an end

One way or another, this was the end of the line for Kyle Larkin.

Rafe stopped Eli from taking another step – the tone coming from Kyle's voice echoed loudly through the walls and it was concerning, knowing that this had the possibility to escalate rather quickly, and he wasn't sure how Eli would react or how he would keep him calm and focused, if Lani had been harmed in any way.

The hotel security officers were then directed to take several steps back.

Once they did as they were instructed, Rafe nodded toward Eli.

"We need to get inside that room-" Eli drew out in one breath, as he couldn't imagine standing on the other side of the door for another second while she was inside. He knew she was smart and that he had to believe she would try to turn the power around on Kyle, which may or may not be possible, and he couldn't forget about the fears he'd had since Lani had been used as bait from the start.

There was no arguing with Kyle.

Not when he had that look in his eye.

Eli remembered it well.

Just as Rafe's knuckles made contact with the door, about to make it clear to Kyle that he was surrounded and had nowhere to hide, a shot echoed from inside the room. This set the both of them into a panic – and he slid the key card slid into the security of the door, both were certain that it was only a matter of time before a second gun-shot would be heard.

Eli turned the knob – the door stopped.

There was a chain from preventing the door opening any further – Eli stepped back and then kicked the door, just enough for the chain to shatter and the door to slam backward against the wall – and for a split second, he didn't hear their voices or see any sign that anyone was in the room.

The air in his lungs was trapped.

Were they too late?

And then she appeared – gun in hand.

Eli rushed into the room and right to her side, searching for any visible signs that she had physically been hurt - blood, bruises, cuts - anything that would tell him whether Kyle was to blame for any harm that may have come to her in the time with him.

At the moment, that was his first and only concern.

Everything else about what happened could wait.

She took in a breath, watching him closely as he moved around her and made his way toward the bed, where Kyle was tied up face down, not able to utter a word. Then, she noticed two officers enter the room, assisting Rafe as they yanked Kyle off the bed and escorted him past Eli and then her, all the while hearing Kyle yelling back at her in hopes that she remembered what he had said.

When she turned slightly to face Eli – she could see that he was distracted.

She just wasn't quite sure what it was about.

"We better get back to the station," Eli finally said, knowing he had so much to say to her but that here, in this hotel room, this wasn't the place he wanted to get into any of it. And it wasn't as if he knew where he would even start?

"That's all you're going to say?"

Eli knew that wasn't all – not even close. "Can we talk about this later? Right now, I want to get back to the station and write up the report, make sure Kyle is booked." He then reached out for her hand, holding it in his. "And then I want to take you home."

* * *

Eli had initially intended to stop at the station to write up the report; however, it took longer than anticipated before they were able to leave the hotel and he didn't want her sitting around waiting for him while Rafe was interviewing Kyle, he wanted her away from that situation for the night.

They never went into the station.

Eli made sure Kyle was taken inside, and then he left with Lani.

After they had pulled out of the parking lot, Eli stole a few glances in her direction, mostly to ensure she was still all right and that there still weren't any signs that she might need to see a doctor or that there were reasons to be concerned.

So far, there didn't seem to be any.

Lani, on the other hand, didn't understand his silence. Obviously, he had been searching for her since she had disappeared with Kyle, and it seemed as he felt a sense of relief once he found her, so why the silent treatment?

This is something she didn't understand.

"I want you to know – I didn't ignore what we talked about that morning," she reluctantly began the conversation, despite the fact that they were in the car and probably wouldn't have his complete focus. "Once you left and I got into my car, he was waiting for me."

Eli focused on the road, but nodded at her words. "I know. We figured that out."

"And you don't want to know what happened?"

He came to a stop light, glancing over at her for a brief moment after he heard the tone in her voice, which was laced with hurt that he didn't seem to want to hear the details, but the truth was, he partially blamed himself for what happened.

"I think we should wait to talk about this."

"Why?" Lani asked, turning her body slightly, facing him even though he couldn't do the same. She knew he probably was right – they probably should wait at least until they were back at her apartment to have this conversation, knowing full well that they just wouldn't be able to have it out in the car.

Still - she proceeded.

"He was in the back seat when I got in the car, and he had a gun, which I'm sure you probably already know about. Later, he threw my cell and service weapon into a body of water on the way to this hotel, so he made sure I couldn't reach out to you or anyone else at the station." She paused, turning back in her seat, facing forward. "You have no idea how much I wish we would have had that argument that morning."

Eli glanced at her, and then turned back to the road. "I didn't know all that."

These were the last words that were spoken between them until they reached her apartment, and then he put the car in park and the two of them opened the car doors and stepped out, it was just a few minutes before they entered through the door of her apartment.

She turned on the lights, and then he stepped inside behind her.

"You probably need your rest tonight."

Lani shook her head in disbelief as s he moved into the living room, sinking into the sofa and staring over at him as he still stood by the door, part of her remembering what it was like being away from him and now she couldn't believe how the first night back with him was turning out to be.

"I don't understand what's going on here – Eli, what's this about?"

He shifted his head to the side, not really understanding himself. "This case – Kyle, Tracey, all of it. He's had this fixation on you, and you related with Tracey on such a level, mostly because of our son, that you couldn't see what was going on—" he moved over to the sofa, standing directly in front of her. "I need this to be over – for all of us."

...


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight:**

 _"_ _I need this to be over – for all of us."_

Neither had moved – him by the door and her buried in the cushions of the sofa.

The tone of the spoken words had her in a state of mixed emotions – on the one hand, she understood it because she felt it too; on the other, she knew this wasn't over, not until justice was served for everyone that had been involved.

Eli didn't seem to get the reaction he hoped, and it frustrated him.

Didn't she see his side of it?

Didn't she want it to end – for good?

After seconds of silence dragged on, he dropped the gaze between them, eventually turning to the door with the reluctant decision to leave. Maybe this wasn't the right time to get into this – not after what she had been through – not once, but twice? It was in the moment that he turned that she finally reacted – she rose to her feet, ran to the door and slammed it shut, stepping in between, their eyes locked in that moment.

"We need to talk about this."

He was silent, taking in the tone in her voice as she stepped back against the door, which he couldn't deny that there was a part of him that wanted to forget how he felt about Kyle and the way her involvement could have gotten her killed, and just pin her up against that door and kiss her until neither one of them could remember anything else.

To be with her, knowing that they were lucky to be with each other at all.

It was what he wanted – more than he could say.

Unfortunately, that part in him didn't win out.

"All I was trying to do was my job – why does it seem like you don't understand that?" Lani wanted to know the answer and at the same time she didn't; so instead, she stepped away from the door and him, knowing that at the very least, it had to have at least gotten his attention.

He turned around. "Why can't you see that I don't want something to happen to you?!" he asked in a slightly raised voice that was laced with frustration. "You went into this case – barely giving a second thought about the dangers and what would happen if you didn't walk out of that warehouse."

The irritation that had been boiling softened within her – just a little, for a moment.

"Eli, I'm a cop."

She was – a damn good one.

He knew it – she was smart, strong, and sometimes, a bit too willing to put herself in the line of fire for the good of the job – in this case, a mother whose newborn baby had been snatched from the father, one who was barely hanging onto a sense of reality. Her personal situation gave her more incentive, which had concerned him from the start.

"It's just not all of who you are…to me."

He had spoken softly, hoping that it meant something.

A part of her felt like she couldn't remember why she was upset in the first place – not with words like that. And not just words, either – he was practically looking right into her soul as he said them. ' _Stop looking at me like that,'_ she thought to herself, knowing that one second longer and her focus would shift away and forget the point she was attempting to make.

"That's not fair."

Her words, not quite as soft, just as important.

Eli shifted slightly, feeling as though nothing about this was fair, if he was being honest about it. "It's true – anything could have happened in that warehouse or the hotel – and then where would we be?" He couldn't help but notice her silence, which he knew wasn't entirely fair on his part, not when you think about it – however, he clearly was not.

The words were true.

They also could have easily been as true for him as it was for her.

"This was my case – what did you want me to do, not work it?" She was slightly annoyed, even if there was a part of her that understood his fear, it wasn't as if she didn't share those fears when he did the same?

Sighing, she turned and walked directly into the kitchen.

Eli threw his head back, knowing he wasn't handling this well.

This was the part he hated – being so in love with her that the job got in the way.

He had always trusted her instincts from the very beginning, and it wasn't that he didn't now, there was just another layer of complication that went with that trust. Loving someone, especially with how deeply he loved Lani, it wasn't easy to sit back and let her go toe to toe with a man that could pull the trigger and end her life in a blink of an eye.

Not to mention – going against his instincts just to avoid appearing overprotective.

It didn't feel right.

Lani entered the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine, finding herself wondering if he was going to leave now that nothing was stopping him from doing so, or would he find a way to hash this out?

She took a sip from the glass, and then noticed him enter the kitchen.

His eyes immediately found hers.

This wasn't the way he wanted the night to go, not when he spent the last few days in a frantic searching for her, making promises to anyone that would listen in order to bring her back to him and everyone that loved her, and he had wanted to find a way for them to forget that Kyle Larkin ever walked into their life.

"Is this about me being a cop?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm glad you're a cop."

"Then what?" she questioned, despite not sure if she entirely believed what he was saying, considering all this seemed to reach a boiling point after this case started. "It can't be about Kyle."

Eli bit down on his bottom lip – waiting until her eyes drifted back to his.

"It is."

Lani shook her head slowly in disbelief, barely able to comprehend that all of this was about Kyle and this case, and not a general fear of her being a cop. After everything that has happened – what could he possibly be concerned about? "He kidnapped me – kept me away from everyone that I love, hoping to use me as some kind of leverage in this war with his ex, and you are saying what, I should remove myself from this case because it's too dangerous?"

"I'm worried about you."

"I can handle myself."

Eli shoved his hands in his jean pockets, watching her movements closely. "You keep saying that – it's what you said last time, and it continues to go south." He noticed her glance to the side, breaking their gaze in an instant. "Please look at me." He waited until she slowly glanced back in his direction, clearly not happy with what he was telling her. "I left this apartment, and then the next thing I knew you were missing."

She didn't need a reminder; it wasn't something she was going to forget.

It wouldn't be something he'd forget, either.

They both didn't want to lose the other, the words just weren't coming out right.

"That wasn't my fault—" Lani bit out, standing up from the barstool with the wine glass in her hand and walking over to the sink, where she poured the remaining down the drain and then set the glass inside, suddenly not in the mood to relax.

"I never said it was."

There was this part of her that felt something was off – she still felt this as she turned around to face him. "We're cops, Eli – that's not just our jobs, it's who we are. I can't turn it off because I love you anymore than you could – and I can't go against doing what I think is right for a case, just because you might not like it."

In this instance – he didn't like it.

Eli didn't trust this guy – he hadn't from the moment Hope and Rafe brought her in.

"This isn't about us being cops – it's about this case, it's about him and this obsession he has with you…" Eli stopped mid-sentence, noticing the way she almost laughed off those words, as if they couldn't have been further from the truth. "Think about it – he bonds with you under the strangest circumstances, he won't speak to anyone but you, and he believes you're the only one that came help him – he doesn't even trust his lawyer."

"How do you know this?!" Lani asked, gripping the edge of the counter behind her.

"I just do."

Maybe he didn't trust anyone that had to do with this case, especially where she was concerned and what has happened so far, which included the standoff she faced as a cop and the constant request for her presence around him, and then most recently, a kidnapping. He had wanted to protect her – only problem was, this interfered with who she was as a cop and the job she was trying to do.

Lani released her grip from the counter and slowly walked closer to where he stood, feeling as though this wasn't just about the case, he was becoming increasingly concerned about her being in the line of fire, and more-so when he wasn't around.

"On the job, I need you to forget that you love me—"

He knew what she was saying and why. "I can't."

It was clear that the dangers of this case was taking a toll on the both of them, and while she couldn't walk away from closing the book on it until the bitter end, he also couldn't stop wanting to protect her in anyway that he could, which is something they were both struggling with now that they were in a relationship.

She wanted handle cases in the way she wanted – come hell or high water.

He wanted to ensure that didn't happen.

One step in an attempt to move past him and out of the kitchen, she felt the grip on her waist, preventing her from taking any further movement. It caught her off-guard, even though she knew it shouldn't, considering what he had just said.

His eyes drifted to hers.

"Can you?"

A large part of her almost wish she could lie and say that she could separate the two, where one would have no effect on the other, but the truth was, no, she couldn't do it. He wouldn't believe her even if she tried to say it – he could always read what she was feeling, even if she couldn't say it.

"No –" she began to whisper, and then gasped lightly when he drew her near. "I can't, either." Her hand touched his chest as he turned her to face him, squeezing her waist and moving her body closer to his, just as their foreheads slowly rested against the other.

He needed her to know that he did in fact love her, something he couldn't turn on and off.

She needed him to know the same.

His hands had slowly moved around to her backside, continuing to pull her body toward his in a slow motion, his lips searched for hers in that moment and they both teased each other until they couldn't take it any longer.

Her hand cupped the side of his face – feeling each kiss, each touch, right to the very core, almost as if this had been the first time for all of it. She felt him pull back for a brief moment – and his eyes only locked with hers for that short moment, he didn't say a word.

Everything turned into a complete fog the second his lips crashed back onto hers once more.

...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine:**

After stepping out of the shower and slipping into a satin robe, Lani finds herself staring back at the door, wondering if he had turned around and left, despite the fact that she had given him a hint on her way out of the kitchen on her way toward the bathroom.

A part of her could still feel his touch, not even a shower could wash that away.

Thoughts drifted as she lathered lotion on her legs.

 _She pushed away from him – moved across the room near the center island._

 _This wasn't going to be solved that way she kept telling herself as he walked up from behind, wrapping both arms around her waist slowly and stepped in close. "This isn't going to work…" words trailing to basically nothing when she felt his fingertips slide underneath the thin t-shift that was partially tucked into the waistband of her jeans. "I mean it, Eli."_

 _"_ _You're beautiful when you're angry."_

 _He smirked, even though he knew she wasn't falling for it._

 _Not yet anyway._

 _Lani was still upset – Eli, on the other hand, was over it._

 _"_ _You need to trust me."_

 _He removed one hand from her waist, allowing the other to wrap around her body a bit more and step in even closer. "I trust you—" he whispered and then slips the available hand underneath her hair, slowly guiding the strands backward and allowing only a simple touch against her skin. He noticed her turn slightly, just as his head lowered and his lips brushed against her cheek and eventually trailed down to her neck, hitting the exact spot that would make her melt._

 _It didn't matter that she had crossed her arms in an attempt to hold onto the anger._

 _Eli wasn't about to let an argument get in the way of showing all the ways he missed her._

 _No way in hell._

 _The palm of his hand pressed against her stomach, warm breath and soft kisses sent shivers down her spine, almost convincing her that all the reasons she was angry at him didn't matter in that moment._

 _That anger was starting to melt away._

 _His touch was addicting._

 _And the way his breath felt against her gave her chills._

 _Squeezing his hand and moving it from her stomach, pausing for a brief second._

 _This allowed her to finally turn around to him – it was in that second, noticing the way his eyes pierced into hers; the way they moved down to her lips and then back again, maybe because she had done the same with him. Lani then tugged at his sweater in an attempt to bring him closer, despite the fact that she still had the left over emotion of being upset with him, and choosing to let the electricity between speak for itself – it had been building since he found her in the hotel and brought her home – she thought about him every single second she was with Kyle, and here they were, arguing about something that didn't even matter._

 _They were together._

 _That mattered._

 _Eli felt her hands slip under his sweater, bunching it upward until he was able to reach from behind, removing it completely. Their eyes locked, her hands covered his and then she tossed the sweater on the kitchen floor._

 _Her lips crashed onto his then, leaning forward and reaching for the waistband of his jeans._

 _The kiss was raw._

 _Intense._

 _Her lips broke free, neither saying much as he reached for her own shirt, helping her shred it from her body. And as that very shirt fell to the floor near his sweater, she stepped around him and walked near the opening of the kitchen. He had glanced around his shoulder in confusion, watching and standing frozen._

 _To get his attention - she reached behind and unclasped her bra and let it drop to the floor._

 _He watched as she exited the kitchen._

Lani shook off those thoughts – knowing that there was a possibility that he had in fact left, considering he didn't follow her into the bathroom and join her in the shower, reasons she wasn't sure she quite understood.

Setting the bottle of lotion on the bathroom counter, she hung the towel and turned off the lights, exiting the bathroom and walking down the hall toward her bedroom, where she noticed a flicker of light coming from inside the room.

Once she stepped inside, there he was.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, still shirtless.

She tightened the wrap around her robe just slightly, suddenly feeling a twinge of nervousness from the way he was looking at her, and then she stepped further into the room and stood directly in front of him.

"You're still here."

He nodded and answered, "I had no intention of leaving."

 _Really?_

 _He had no plans to leave – this surprised her._

Eli reached for her fingers, gently pulling her toward him until she reached the edge of the bed and directly stood between his legs, and then lowering her down until she was sitting on his lap, where his hands rested against her upper thigh.

Lani felt it, once his hand moved underneath the smooth fabric covering her.

"Eli, I want you to know—"

He moved his hand from her thigh and cupped her face, wanting to desperately taste her in that moment and forget about everything else as he brought her lips closer to his and whispered, "I don't want to talk…"

And as his words trailed, his lips covered hers.

He turned her slightly, lifting her with a firm grip against her waist and taking her with him as they fell back on the bed, gently lowering her down to him, barely seconds between until she shifted her body upward until her hand was able to reach the back of his neck. He entered her mouth; thrusting his tongue inside with an eager moan from the intensity that continued between the two of them.

She pressed her hands against his chest then, lifting herself upward, against his hips.

Eli let out a breath, staring up at her.

Lani stared down at him, caught in his gaze.

Moving both hands from her thighs, Eli reached up and loosened the tie from the robe, watching with anticipation as his hand dropped down to her upper thigh, opening the robe enough to see that she was completely naked.

She inhaled deeply at his touch; the gaze between them intense in that moment.

Biting down on his lip, the anticipation increased as her hands reached for the robe and slowly slid it off her shoulders, glancing down at him and feeling as though the anger she felt at the way he was behaving around this case and the way he didn't seem to trust her, there just wasn't a person in the entire world that she would rather fight with.

She loved him.

It had consumed her entire body in that moment.

He licked his lips and bit down on his bottom lip again as she removed the robe completely, tossing it over the bed and turning back to meet his gaze, one that had not left her for one second, and she reached for the button on his jeans and then zipper, gasping in that moment as he pulled her down to him and rolled over, taking her with him.

Lani tugged at the waistband of his jeans as he hovered over her.

He shed the jeans from his body.

She smiled, feel a tinge of heat once his lips covered hers.

Eli moved lower, kissing her stomach slowly and then gazing up toward her until his mouth had reached hers and he was drinking in her fevered kisses, and she then reached for the waistband of his boxers and tugged them down from his body.

Settling his mouth on hers, he heard a soft moan as he kissed her deeply.

Lani gasped against him as he thrust into her. Arching into the kisses between them, she let go of any of the thoughts that had been in her mind earlier, giving into the to pleasure that was occurring between the two of them in that very moment.

He gave himself over to her completely – deep, smooth strokes of his body against hers.

The intensity between them reached new heights, and it almost scared them.

Eli eased away from her body slowly, not wanting to leave her warmth but feeling as though the oxygen in his lungs needed a slight breather, and he knew this probably wasn't the only time they were going to make love that night.

Once he fell back on the pillow next to her, exhaling deeply, he glanced over at her.

"Where did that come from?" he asked, breathless.

Lani pressed her lips together, moving toward him and rested her head against his chest. "I could ask you the same thing," she returned, just as breathless.

She had branded him – that was a given.

He shifted a bit closer to her, just as her leg slowly draped over his and she glanced up and met his gaze, which all he could think about was the way she felt as she moved against his skin and the way it felt to be inside her, and knowing that her being there with him was a gift that he knew he should be grateful.

Lani met his eyes – tracing her thumb against his bottom lip.

"I thought about you every second – about us; about this."

She reached up, covering her mouth with his and melted into the way it felt to be back in his arms, to have him back in her bed, and no longer needing to think about the way she ached for him because he was there, with her where he should be.

"I thought about us, too—" she whispered back, breaking her lips from his.

Eli's hands caressed her forearm gently – he had practically driven himself crazy when she had been missing, replaying over and over the events that led up to it in his mind and trying to think of what he could have done differently, knowing that he loved her so much that the thought of being without her had driven a bit crazy.

He would have done anything to get her back.

"I'm glad you stayed."

 _He was, too._

 _More than she probably even realized._

"We'll figure all this out," Eli whispered, placing a soft kiss against her forehead. "I'll be damned if I let him hurt you again – I'm not going to just sit back and let that happen." He removed his lips from her forehead. "I love you."

 _It was those words – the way he said them._

 _The way he looked at her as he did._

She knew she didn't exactly need to return those words, as he knew the way she felt about him, just as she knew the way he felt about her. Still – it meant a lot and felt good to hear them when it mattered. "I love you, too."

...


End file.
